Artist

Music Venues Directory

http://www.laphil.com Frank Gehry's curving layers of shiny, silvery stainless-steel planks are more than just an architectural marvel. As designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, the sound in the main room is pristine and almost prescient. Part of downtown Los Angeles' Music Center, the hall features a massive concert organ built by Caspar Glatter-Gotz and can seat up to 2,265 people (seating is reserved). The home of the L.A. Philharmonic and the L.A. Master Chorale, Disney Hall also broadens its focus to encompass pop, jazz and country musicians like Dianne Reeves, Ryan Adams, Trey Anastasio and Willie Nelson. The multilevel downtown complex includes a bookstore, a cafe and several bars. Parking is available in an adjoining underground lot. More >>

http://www.whiskyagogo.com Of all the clubs on the Sunset Strip, the Whisky a Go-Go has the longest history and the most impressive roster of legendary musicians who've played there. Johnny Rivers christened the room with its first live performance in 1964, and the two-level club was soon the main hangout for such influential local bands as the Byrds, Love, the Doors, Buffalo Springfield and a young Alice Cooper, as well as up-and-coming out-of-town acts like Led Zeppelin, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Velvet Underground, Cream and the late Otis Redding, who recorded a classic live album there. In the late 1970s, the club expanded its booking policy to encompass punk, new wave, power pop and heavy metal groups, including the Ramones, X, the Germs, the Alley Cats, Blondie, the Last, XTC, Dead Kennedys, the Quick, Van Halen, the Plimsouls and Quiet Riot. The Whisky was shuttered for several years in the early 1980s before reinventing itself once again, this time as a hot spot for the growing hair-metal scene, with bands like Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue and, later on, such grunge outfits as Mudhoney and Nirvana and punk veterans like Vice Squad. These days, various promoters use the site to book mostly new and unknown performers, with occasional visitations from bigger-name artists. While the cages that used to enclose its namesake go-go dancers above the stage are long gone, the Whisky a Go-Go still has much of the same layout as it did in the 1960s, with standing room on the dance floor and small tables in the upstairs balcony. Unlike so many local music venues, the nightclub has always had a powerful PA, making it one of the best places to hear live music in the city. There are two full bars, and most nights admission is available to people of all ages. Paid parking is available in the lot behind the club. More >>

http://www.livenation.com/venues/14361/the-wiltern In a city of Art Deco landmarks, the Wiltern might be one of L.A.'s most striking architectural fixtures. Originally intended as a vaudeville theater when it opened in 1931, the venue has hosted film screenings, but in more recent years has been primarily a location for rock and pop concerts. Named after the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Western Ave., where it's located on the edge of Koreatown, the grand old building features classic furnishings, crystal lamps and ornate sun designs painted on the theater's large, high ceiling. A large balcony looks down over a ground floor, which alternates between seated and general-admission style standing room. Several full bars are scattered around the roomy environs, including in the sumptuously gilded lobby. The high ceiling sometimes makes for echoing sound when loud rock bands play the theater, but the acoustics are usually fine for quieter performers and theatrical events. Ray Davies, Cheap Trick, Radio Birdman, Buffalo Springfield, the Breeders and Dimmu Borgir are among the widely disparate musicians who've invaded the Wiltern's lavish stage. All ages, with street parking and a multistory lot next door. More >>

http://www.theworldstage.org The World Stage, a Leimert Park landmark founded in 1989, has long been home base for great local talent. It’s one of the best places to hone your skills as a musician, as well as get the most blunt feedback you could possibly hope for: If you aren’t up to snuff at the World Stage Jam Session, well, someone will tell you. You can still hit their jazz concerts, though, as an appreciative – and humbled – audience member. More >>